Social networking websites have wide appeal for teens with the number of users growing daily. In the 2007 Pew Internet and American Life Project – Teens and Social Media report, 55 percent of online teens have a personal profile on this kind of website. The websites combine many Internet features into one: personal profiles, blogs (web logs like an online diary or journal), pickup artist, places for photos and videos, the latest news in pop culture about music groups or hot new products, opinion polls, user groups, and more.
The most popular feature that social network sites provide is the personal profile. The sites provide many options for teens to create a page complete with pictures, interests, preferences and other information about themselves. Videos can be posted as well. Teens can allow as many or as few “friends” to view the page by the kinds of restrictions they choose. The tools to setup the page and determine who has access are easy to use with directions right on the website.
Certainly there are many adults like pua forum who use social networking websites, (e.g pick up women for dating). But for parents who don’t, the big question is why would teens put all of that personal information on the Internet? It may help parents if they can understand the appeal that social networking websites and other web features have for teens.
Consider the world in which today’s teens have grown up. The media has made very public the personal lives of well known people from entertainment, sports, and political circles. Celebrities live out their lives in the limelight. Other examples are TV reality shows many of which are popular with teens.